Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina
ON: YSS Miharu, Kotori's quarters
Kotori watched Yukari, Kôsuka, Nyton and Miyoko file in after she opened the door for them. A grim pall seemed to settle in the room and Kotori closed the door, gestured for them to take a seat and then sat in her chair at the opposite side of her desk.
"Miharu, please disengage sensory surveillance of my quarters until the door opens," the Taisa ordered.
"My apologies Taisa, but I must decline," Miharu replied. "I am sure the Suzuka-Shosa can vouch as to why."
Kotori blinked her eyes in surprise and looked at the other four. "Alright, what is this about? Were things that bad down there?"
Kotori's amber eyes briefly made eye contact with Miyoko's before coming to Yukari's. Yukari kept quiet, for the moment. The Samurai appeared stiff and upset.
Nyton's face looked grim but he remained silent. Looking over to Yukari he waited for her to explain things. She obviously had more information regarding the investigation into Kotori's body.
Miyoko shifted a bit uncomfortably and then cleared her throat to announce her intention to speak. The scientific analysis of things might as well come before the... sword-ier aspects of the event came to light.
"The body we found seems to be an NH-23, Taisa, and its tactical systems are engaged. Our activities outside of the tank were enough to almost draw a response from it, it seemed." Miyoko paused, hesitating for a few moments. "I assume you're... familiar with the model?"
Kotori's attention returned to Miyoko as Yukari let the science officer explain. Her eyes went wide at the mention of the nature of the body supposedly held in stasis. "You are telling me that my original body was altered to fulfill the functions of a NH-23?" She asked slowly.
Miyoko raised her hands helplessly. "That is what the tank proclaims it to be, and Miharu seems to believe it. Beyond those facts, I must reserve my judgement."
"Good thinking," Kotori nodded to Miyoko, recovering some of her wits. "I'm mislabeled as a NH-29 Stealth variant, so, I wouldn't take any other labels - especially such a controversial one - at face value unless I had more proof."
Yukari looked slowly at Kotori, affixing her eyes to the Neko's gold ones.. The NH-23 did look exactly the same ... save for the long hair.
"We know it is an NH-23 unit, and that it essentially controls our vessel. It is a clone of you."
Kotori frowned and then asked them: "Miharu was aware of it and she controls it? Can you elaborate?"
"Her model type gives her access to PANTHEON as well as a high level of authority. With her telepathic abilities she is able to communicate with Miharu. Besides having control of the vessel, she is also aware of her surroundings and capable of defending herself. I could detect her body attempting to revive itself from the container." Nyton explained while assuming his thinking pose.
Kotori shook her head slightly. "Hold on." She took a deep breath and then said: "She's been there, Miharu knew about her all along and she has administrative rights to our ship and yet has been held harmlessly in her container not taking advantage of it?" The Taisa reclined back on her chair, looking a little overwhelmed and a little bewildered. "Chikushou."
"Yes, Taisa." The word rang with special accuracy in Yukari's ears.
"It may be possible that she has been silently watching us this whole time, Kotori-sama. If she has not acted as of yet then we may draw two possible assumptions," Nyton then said as he analyzed. "Either she is waiting for the most opportune moment to strike after gathering enough information. Or she does not mean us any harm and is simply enjoying the show for now."
Miyoko shook her head. "It's possible that with all of the privileges an NH-23 has, its subconscious systems merely connect to the local PANTHEON node as part of its basic processes... I'm afraid I'm a bit underinformed on the subject, however."
"Given that she can observe us and is knows that we are aware of her then perhaps we could dispense with any attempts at trickery and just address her directly." Nyton suggested.
"Her link to the system is not that basic," Miharu quipped.
"So you say now." Kotori crossed her arms petulantly. "How about we get some exposition now? Seriously, you're making me wonder who is in charge here."
"You, obviously," the computer replied.
"That could be either of us," Kotori noted acidly.
"Taisa, I've known about her ever since I was first activated back in Scorpio," Miharu said. "She was always there as far as I remember. I don't remember her ever doing anything bad. In fact, it's thanks to her administrative priviledges that I've been able to stop any attempts to hack in my system so far. She's the one whom took control of the Meng Po's NIWS and shut her down. As far as I know, she's never done anything so far that could compromise our mission, your authority or the lives of this crew."
" ... " Yukari kept quiet, even as Kôsuka's hand visibly tightened on the hilt of her tachi.
"Miharu-san, if I may inquire, has she been a pleasant companion this whole time or just reacting on instinct?" Nyton asked, instinctively looking up.
Miyoko dryly noted, "If she has administrative access to you, that you don't know she's done anything wrong isn't all that reassuring..."
"Good point," Miharu replied. "The other boon she granted and the reason for my own secrecy, though, was the reason I believe it was worth taking a chance. While ST recorders have failed to register any data from the Taisa's Signaler body, the SPINE interface of her command chair has been able to make such a connection. So, everytime the Taisa makes interface, I've been able to upload information from her and so update her record."
"Soul Transfer data?" Kotori asked.
"Something close to that," the ship's computer replied.
"Without my knowledge of it?"
"I'm not the only one she has administrative priviledges over."
"That's just freaking great," Kotori said in numb sarcasm, rubbing one side of her face.
I suppose that is one way to get around her issues with the ST interface. Nyton dryly thought to himself. Nyton suddenly came out of his thinking pose, eyes narrowed as a crease began to form on his forehead. "That's it, Kotori-sama. Sylvester had this all figured out before you ever set foot on this ship." He then struck his left fist into his right palm. "He knew you couldn't ST with the Signaller body. He knew the 23 model would have the administrative access to download your SPINE data. In that sense he had already planned for your ability to ST out of this body once you were ready to do so, Kotori-sama. That is the only reason I can think of for him setting it up like this."
"With a NH-23, Nyton?" Kotori recalled how Yui had been ale to restore her body using her psionic abilities without her Signaler abilities kicking in. "Maybe, but as far as Yamatai would be concerned... this is really over the top. I'm not sure how Karl Sylvester managed this, but in managing to give my original this bootleg upgrade, he created a major security breach to this nation's security."
"Can you even fathom what this means?" The Taisa asked, amber eyes settled on his.
"No, he can't," Kôsuka said lowly.
"Not to mention breaking the law about having multiple concurrent instances of a person running around... If the right people find out, there will be some rather unpleasant consequences." Miyoko leaned back in her chair, brooding over it.
Nyton's ice blue eyes focused on Kotori's. "With all due respect, unpleasant consequences be damned. If this man is the father figure you make him out to be then as a parent he would have done everything possible to ensure your happiness." Nyton replied.
Even to the point of lying to me, the Samurai bitterly thought.
"It's not as simple as that Nyton." Kotori chuckled mirthlessly, shaking her head. "If the Nepleslians, the Jiyuuians or the Freespacers wanted the perfect weapon to knock down the Yamatai Star Empire to its knees, this could be it."
Kotori fisted her hands. "Given the proper support, she could be the perfect ursurper. Like you said, the Empire runs on everything Ketsurui, so, if their authority is challenged, then the communication and logistic side of the Empire could be taken over."
"Even if she is only partly successful, it still creates a giant informative power struggle within the Empire. Without an effective command structure, those Yamatai have oppressed to a degree could go and steamroll over them. By the time the Star Army would recover, it could be too late."
"If SAINT ever heard of this, they would kill Sylvester, his family, and probably everyone living in the same cityblock and all his coworkers... not to mention they'd destroy Miharu and us and our relatives along with it, just because we were exposed to something like this."
At least my daughter realizes some of the gravity of the situation, Kôsuka thought.
Damn, there I went again, too focused on the puzzle to realize the big picture. This would be serious, especially if this other Kotori wishes to do something like that. Nyton thought to himself.
"Well then." Miyoko sat up a bit, giving a halfhearted smirk. "We just have to make sure they don't find out, in that case. To be fair, it isn't exactly prominently displayed... as long as she remains content at sitting in a tank and being your personal shield, at least."
"Well... I did hold the ambition of eventually having my behind sit on the Imperial Throne," Kotori admitted glumly. "I've no way of knowing how this translates for her. There's the saying: Absolute power absolutely corrupts."
"Corrupts absolutely, Kotori-sama." Nyton said, looking down at the floor.
Kotori waved idly in a 'What he said' gesture.
"However, this still leaves us the problem of what to do. If we destroy her to prevent a black ops wipeout or a collapse of the Empire then we will have to deal with her defenses. Currently that consists of the Miharu along with whatever else Sylvester provided her." Nyton then said. "We are at something of a disadvantage there. I hate to sound defeatist but negotiation may be our only option." Nyton said.
"Since she's practically had us at her mercy this whole time, I would assume that she isn't hostile," Miyoko pointed out. "Unless, of course, she feels threatened now that we know she exists."
Kotori nodded. "Saito-Heisho has a point." She looked to Yukari. "What do you think?"
"Our ship is not entirely under our control, and we appear to have an empress above us manipulating events. Our mission is too important to take risks, I believe." Yukari looked up. "But ... we do not have unfettered control of our destinies at this moment. I believe we must talk to her, if we are to regain some form of that control."
Kotori's eyes shifted to Kôsuka. "What about you?"
Kôsuka shifted her eyes away. "We are walking dead. It matters not. Sylvester-san has placed our lives into a fire deeper than Ash Bay."
"That's terrific," Kotori said, smirking as she set her head back on her chair's head rest. "Let me guess - I'm the one who has to come up with some sort of solution to the giant mess that was dropped over our collective laps."
While Nyton was looking down his mind was still racing. While this was indeed disturbing it was at the same time exciting. He could not help it. He loved this sort of challenge.
"I offered a solution," Yukari said bravely. "We speak to her. Directly. If she has parts of you in her, then she will understand what is happening. Likely she does already. Perhaps, as with Miharu, she wants to be asked."
"Mm." Miyoko looked between Kotori and Nyton. "Might I suggest delaying anything that could change the currently-benevolent superweapon's stance toward us until after the mission?"
"Our mission might be too risky to chance that," Kotori frowned. "If we are defeated, she could fall in Eve's hands."
Miyoko raised an eyebrow at that. "The only way to prevent that would be to destroy her or send her away. Neither is a great option at the moment."
"Given our current conditions we would have to scrap the mission until this matter is resolved." Nyton said.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Kotori cautioned. "Parlay with her does seem our best option until we gain a better understanding of her. How would you propose we do so?"
"Perhaps we should ask Miharu how she would prefer to be communicated with. After all, she seems to know a lot about her as it is." Nyton said, crossing his arms.
"Sound should carry through the glass. She could just reply through telepathy," Miharu simply answered. "You'd just have to coax her out of her stasis enough so to be intellegible."
"Seems straightforward enough," Kotori gave a little nod. "Suzuka-Shosa, Saito-Heisho, I place you both in charge of this. Claymere-Taii, I want you to supervise the progress of the ship's pre-battle preparations while the Shosa is handling this. Kôsuka-Juni, you are to assure your own team's readiness for the same."
The Taisa brushed back stands of hair behind one of her pointed black-furred ears, her eyes fiercely intense as she looked at the four others in her quarters. "I will determine the resolution of this matter, so, until we have more answers, this remains only between yourselves." She then nodded. "Dismissed. You have work to do."
Yukari bowed stiffly. "As ordered, Taisa," she said mid-bow. As she came to look Kotori in the eyes again one more time, she saw only bright gold. It was not something she particularly enjoyed seeing. "Heisho, with me, please," she said as she turned on her heel and walked out.
Miyoko rose and followed Yukari, waiting until the two were out the door to voice her concerns. "So, er... do you have any idea how to negotiate with a potentially insane nigh-omnipotent clone? I must admit that it wasn't covered in my training."
"If we are honest and forthright, we shall succeed," Yukari said, a lack of confidence clear in her voice. "Those are the only tools we have."
"Ah! Right." Miyoko's voice was laden with false cheerfulness as she led the way toward the cargo bay. "Well, at the very least, like I said... she doesn't seem overtly hostile."
"She is Kotori," Yukari replied as they walked into the wardroom and headed for the main corridor. "The Taisa is not hostile unless provoked. We will have to be patient."
"Coming in without a stance of power or any knowledge of what she wants, though..." Miyoko fell into step behind Yukari. "We don't have much going for us if she doesn't decide to cooperate without an argument."
"We lack options," Yukari sent, having a harder time masking her uncertainty about the mission, but not wishing to reveal what was going on. A new sprite passed by them toward the wardroom as the reached the main corridor. "The NH-23 could know more, or less, than we do. A dialogue must come first." She floated down easily to the main deck, then headed for the cargo bay.
Miyoko's lack of excitement was practically palpable as they walked into the cargo bay and approached the sizeable storage container. She looked around to make sure nobody else was nearby before speaking. "Is Sigurd going to come open it again, or do we have to fend for ourselves?"
Just as Miyoko finished, Sigurd stepped out from behind crates, with a M6 Daisy power armor opposite to him emerging from thermoptic stealth. "We stayed behind for a bit, just in case," Mara's voice came out of the power armor's loudspeakers. "We can handle the brawnier part of the problem for you once you both are ready to proceed."
Yukari nodded her head in a respectful bow. "Please, Sigurd-san, Mara-san."
The Daisy bobbed its helmeted head in acknowledgement and both power armor and custodian went to each side of the container to heave the cap up until it secured into place before Sigurd raised the exposed shutter, revealing once more the capsule and its occupant.
Cold mist billowed out again, but it dissipated much faster than earlier, revealing the placidly floating form of the capsule's occupant silhouetted behind a blurr of condensation.
Miyoko approached the tank veeeeeery cautiously, taking the time to get a good look at the readout now that she was going to tempt fate anyway.
The displays still revealed most of the information Miyoko had skimmed over last time she had eyed the console. The NH-23 was still in stasis and its secondary tactical operating system thankfully had returned to watchful quiescence.
Yukari narrowed her eyes at the capsule, not in threatening way, but as if she were unsure of it, similar to looking into a bright light. "It understood our spoken speech before ... I believe." Before approaching it, Yukari unclasped her holster belt and gave it to Sigurd. She now only had her datapad on her, and her communicator in her hand. " ... How do you suppose we greet it?"
"Her," Miyoko corrected. If she was going to be negotiating with something that could kill her casually, she was going to be polite. "And I suppose you just announce your intention."
"Sou," Yukari replied, noting the correction. "Ah ... uh-hm. Anou, hello, Kotori. Can you understand me?" Her skin flushed; she felt stupid for speaking so simply in Yamataian, but what could she do?
The person behind the blurred glass remained unresponsive. Miyoko didn't see any change regarding brain activity on the monitoring console - it could be that everything but passive defensive measures was truly in stasis.
Miyoko browsed through the options on the interface, raising her voice as she did so. "Miharu, is it possible for you to get her attention through her link to you?"
"You could just take her out of stasis for a bit," Miharu simply replied. "Once your conversation with her is done, just put her back in stasis."
Miyoko looked skeptically to Yukari. "... I can make that happen, but I would advise against it if we can possibly avoid doing so."
"She's not going to make much sense talking in her sleep," Miharu pointed out.
"I'm more worried about convincing her to go back to sleep..." Miyoko kept browsing through the interface, looking for some better alternative while she waited for Yukari's response.
Yukari was still looking at the sleeping Kotori. She nodded. "Could she speak telepathically with us, Miharu, or is she unable to communicate consciously in this state?"
"Can you talk in your sleep, Shosa?" Miharu answered the question with a question, as if talking to an unreasonable child. "Can you make conversation that way?"
Miyoko sighed. "I will wake her up at your order."
Yukari curled her lips into an annoyed frown. Miharu had her moments, she reminded herself. "Please do so, Heisho. We are without an alternative."
Cringing a bit, Miyoko tapped in the commands to make the tank bring the neko within out of stasis.
The console's text blurb over the diagnostic scan displays revealed steps being taken to release the NH-23 from stasis. While Miyoko viewed the process step-by-step, Yukari benefited from the display also showing a gauge which filled up with a percentile display. Eventually, it was full at one-hundred percent.
As the final step registered as done, Miyoko took a step back, peering between the tank and Yukari.
Yukari let out a small sigh, her body rigid. She kept her hands in front of her, one in the other. She almost appeared to be praying. "Kotori ... are you awake? Can you hear me?"
A tense moment passed before Yukari had a telepathic reply. "I should not be awake. Why have you awoken me?"
Yukari winced; the reply almost felt powerful. She tried to recompose herself and bowed deeply. "Forgive us for awaking you, Kotori. We have awoken you to speak to you. Our Taisa asked this of us. I am Suzuka Yukari-Shosa of the YSS Miharu."
"Yukari; once my lover, my precious friend, my second-in-command," came the return reply. "I know of you. I will talk with you, but afterwards, please put me back to sleep. It would be unfair otherwise."
Yukari blushed fiercely, her face breaking out into a sheepish smile. "Of course, Kotori ... we will return you to slumber." She looked at Miyoko with the same stupid smile, then at the capsule again. "Kotori, we are on a vital mission." She did not say "for the Empire;" that seemed uncertain after everything they had gone through. "We recently discovered your presence here ... but we do not know why you were placed with us. Can you tell us?"
Before Kotori answered, Yukari flipped open her communicator and modified it to project Kotori's telepathic messages through the speaker phone. That way, Miyoko and Mara could hear what went on.
"That is a hard question to answer. I am not entirely certain myself," the original Kotori replied. "I was a last resort. I have never seen Karl's hands shake so, I have never seen tears stain his cheeks, nor him apologize so profusely to me. I decided to have faith in him and endure it, for his sake, her sake and mine. I do not have much choice, either way."
Miyoko rubbed the back of her neck, feeling like she was intruding on a rather private conversation. She edged out of theline of sight between Yukari and the tank.
Yukari's eyes darted to Miyoko. The Shosa could feel more in Kotori's words than Miyoko could ... she looked back at Kotori. "What is it you endure, Kotori?"
"You should know by now what I've been made into," NH-23 Kotori answered. "How long have you refered to me as an it? How long have you hesitated before wanting to talk with me? How much have you contemplated destroying me instead of allowing me to exist?"
"I thought I was willing to live at any cost - I have a reason to live for... but I find the price to pay heavy," she added. "I have stood next to Yui-Taisho, knowing what she was... and she never seemed to inspire through what she was as much fear, dread and revilement as I do. I have power, and I live... and yet I am also in a cage by what I have become."
"Wanting to enjoy freedom and the power I have gained would be turning my back on everything I have existed and yearned for, she paused. "This is what I endure."
"Eh-heh." Miyoko shifted even further away, rubbing the back of her neck at that... she'd been the earliest proponent of referring to this version of Kotori as 'it,' after all.
" ... " Yukari was overcome by immense guilt. Even if she did not contemplate Kotori's destruction ... the rest was true, and any defense was washed aside by that truth. She hung her head some, eyes finding a spot at the base of the container to cling to. Freedom, she thought. All I have ever wanted. Freedom. "We do not wish you caged, Kotori ... and I do not fear you. But we will soon face Eve and her minions... your presence leaves us without certainty of our mission and its purpose. We hesitate because we do not know what you are here for. It is not your fault." She took a breath and pushed on. "Do you fear us?"
"It is not really fear for my life... but the desire to exist in the eyes of others, to not be alone," the original Kotori returned. "I have even been forsaken by my mother in favor of my other self."
There was a slight pause before she continued. "Nevertheless, I do not begrudge my other self her existence - she had no more choice in it than I have had. The living have a duty to live, after all. Thanks to a kindness of Miharu's, I can find some life through her. While I live, she lives. While she lives, I live in return. That is why I must sleep - it would be too cruel, too much to bear otherwise."
Yukari held her tongue about the Samurai. Duty bound that one up in more than she understood. "I am confused by this situation ... but I am not confused about you, Kotori." She said in yamataian, walking forward to the capsule, eyes now on the Neko's face only slightly masked by condensation. Her glove was easily slipped off, and she put her naked hand on the capsule, over where one of Kotori's hand were. The cold chilled her some. "Can you help us, Kotori ... can you live with us, and help us stay alive?"
Miyoko was practically moping by this point. Among depressing conversations she'd had, this ranked up there with the best of them. In more ways than one. It also raised some important questions, but she held her tongue for the time being.
"I live with you as much as I can already," the nekovalkyrja in the capsule cracked her amber eyes open to slits. "Living more would be to eclipse the other Kotori. She is not the only one to have wondered is she was deserving to live more than the other. As long as she lives, I should remain as 'canned goods'. It is the only way to afirm her existence and to keep yours safe from the possible repercussions of my own existence."
"As for help, I have already granted Miharu her freedom and independence - secured it, since she was created. It is more help than you realize, despite her excesses. There are questions I might have answers for as well; I have had a lot of time to think, and dream when thinking became too painful."
Yukari smiled and nodded. It hurt to think of this other Kotori, the Kotori she knew a little differently, as a grocery item. But there was hope that one day, both Kotoris could co-exist somehow. She had to believe that. "Thank you, Kotori," she said. "We have many questions, especially the Taisa. She needs to what other things you are willing to do, as you sleep, that could affect the outcome of our mission against Eve."
The eyes of the NH-23 opened a little wider, the amber orbs fixating the hand Yukari had set against the transculent surface of the capsule. "Ask, and I will try to answer."
"Can you assure us Miharu will respond to our commands? She is sometimes ... headstrong." Yukari looked to Mara, a little smile on her face.
"Miharu's loyalty to the Empire extends to assuring the wellbeing of its citizens, instead of assuring the control of the ruling clan or the power of the Star Army of Yamatai," the original Kotori answered. "She has faith that you act to such a goal, so, she will obey your wishes in the fashion expected. She is in many ways just like a nekovalkyrja, desiring to please, be useful and count for something."
"That is what I hoped to hear." Yukari looked at Kotori's eyes; seeing them behind glass that way was disconcerting. "Can you tell us anything of our enemy, that we do not know?"
Yukari glanced over to Miyoko. "What other things should I ask, Heisho?"
Miyoko shrugged softly, returning Yukari's telepathy in kind. "I'm not certain how much she knows... With what she's told us, I think that it's safe to assume that either she's not going to turn on us, or that she's so far against us that she's totally unwilling to tell the truth. Either way, I doubt we'll find much else from questioning her." Miyoko shifted a bit uncomfortably. "But then, I could be wrong."
Yukari nodded slowly, and waited for Kotori's response.
"It is my personal belief that the enemy would know of the Himiko-class light cruisers by now," the NH-23 answered. "The Asamoya has operated with high-visibility in joint Fifth Expeditionary Fleet missions - seeing that, I would not count on the enemy not knowing of this ship's capabilities."
"I also have the perhaps biased opinion that Black Spiral might have amongst its numbers double agents acting at the behest of Eve," she added. "I think Karl was implicated into something bigger than himself where his expertise and longstanding ties as a genecitist were of use and that this, for some reason, lead to my upgrade and placement aboard this ship."
PAUSE
